The Hindu : Sport : Australia clinches series

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Feb 07, 2005

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Australia clinches series

SYDNEY, FEB. 6. Glenn McGrath claimed five wickets on Sunday as Australia beat Pakistan by 31 runs and clinched the best-of-three limited-overs cricket final series with a match to spare.

Adam Gilchrist, Ricky Ponting and Damien Martyn all scored in the 40s as Australia reached 239 for nine after winning the toss and opting to bat.

McGrath took a catch off Brett Lee's bowling to remove Taufeeq Umar (3) and then removed Kamran Akmal (12), Mohammad Hafeez (6) and Inzamam-ul-Haq (0) to have Pakistan reeling at 38 for four.

Pakistan recovered and, with Abdul Razzaq scoring 43 off 58 balls, was still in with a chance until McGrath struck again.

Equation

Razzaq had just swiped McGrath to the boundary and improved Pakistan's equation to 39 runs required off 40 balls when he edged the fast bowler to Gilchrist and made the total 201 for nine.

McGrath bowled Rana Naved-ul-Hasan to end Pakistan's innings in the 46th over and returned five for 27 in 7.4 overs — his seventh five-wicket haul in 201 one-day internationals.

Yousuf Youhana top scored for Pakistan, accumulating 51 off 56 balls including five boundaries, to keep the pressure up until he tried to slog Brad Hogg out of the ground and was bowled by a wrong 'un to make the total 97 for six.

Shahid Afridi plundered 31 off 21 balls, including two sixes and a boundary, before he was run out attempting a second run after guiding a Jason Gillespie ball to Lee at third man.

Lee threw to Gilchrist, who whipped off the bails as Afridi approached the crease and the TV umpire gave the decision against Pakistan in the 31st over. The match was all but over at Afridi's departure.

Fantastic effort

``It was a fantastic effort,'' said Ponting, whose Australian side won the Test series against New Zealand and Pakistan and the limited-overs tri-series involving West Indies and Pakistan in the domestic summer.

``We didn't bat at our best in this final series but we bowled outstandingly,'' he said. ``Pakistan certainly pushed us all the way in the last two games.''

Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq said his squad had chances to beat Australia and would benefit from the experience.

``These last couple of games, we've been working hard and playing good cricket,'' he said. ``We really played well in patches and hopefully we can continue from here when we start our next tour to India.''

McGrath was voted player of the match and Lee won the series honour, with 16 wickets.

First breakthrough

Lee made the first breakthrough in the fifth over, having Umar caught at long leg by McGrath with Pakistan's total at 13.

McGrath got his first wicket three balls later when Akmal was caught behind.

He struck twice within four balls in the 12th over, having Hafeez caught at short point by Michael Clarke and then trapping skipper Inzamam leg before with an off-cutter.

Earlier, Gilchrist belted six boundaries and a six, scoring 40 off 30 balls and shared a 55-run opening stand with Clarke, who continued with Ponting to lift the total to 118 before Australia lost its second wicket.

Clarke scored 38 off 75 balls and Ponting made 41 off 61.

Martyn (43) was out in the 45th over. Razzaq took two wickets, removing Gilchrist and Martyn, but was taken out of the attack in the 49th over when umpire Rudi Koertzen ruled that the Pakistani all-rounder bowled two full toss deliveries in the over.

Hat-trick averted

Naved-ul-Hasan bowled Hogg (13) and Gillespie (0) with the first and second balls of the final over but was denied a hat-trick by McGrath, who got an inside edge to the boundary off the first ball he faced.

Razzaq returned two for 51, while Afridi had two for 38 and Naved-ul-Hasan had two for 69 off nine. Australia won the first final by 18 runs at Melbourne on Friday. This win means Australia keeps the No. 1 position and gets the right to face World XI in three one-day internationals in October. — AP

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